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with Robyn Preston MP
$ 5 BILLION WESTINVEST FUND FOR WESTERN SYDNEY
The NSW Government has recently announced a new $ 5 billion investment to be spent on local infrastructure in western and southwestern Sydney . Hawkesbury is included and I will be advocating for a share of those funds for much needed projects .
These funds have been made available from the sale of the NSW Government ’ s residual 49 per cent stake in WestConnex for $ 11.1 billion .
The new WestInvest Fund will focus on projects that make a real difference to the quality of life , help create jobs in the process and change the face of Western Sydney for the better .
The funds will be directed towards
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clearing local traffic , rejuvenating communities with improved parks , better open spaces , enhancing sporting grounds , improving cultural facilities , modernising schools and giving town centres a boost .
This investment is just the first stage of our economic recovery strategy which the Government is currently developing for release in October .
LED LIGHTS FOR HAWKESBURY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
More Hawkesbury public school classrooms will be brightened up with LED lights , with the announcement of the third tranche of schools to benefit from the LED Lighting Upgrade Program , taking the total number of participating schools in NSW to more than 800 .
The $ 157.8 million initiative was
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launched last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is targeted at replacing old inefficient lights in NSW public schools with smart LED lights .
I welcome the news that 23 schools in the Hawkesbury Electorate will have old inefficient lights replaced with smart LED lights , benefiting the eyes and minds of students and the power bills for schools .
$ 10,000 FOR WATER KNOWLEDGE FOR THE HAWKESBURY-NEPEAN RIVER
I am pleased that a project aimed at increasing awareness of issues facing the Hawkesbury Nepean River ( HNR ) has received $ 10,000 in funding as part of Sydney Water ’ s 2021 Community Grants Program .
The project , known as ‘ Water knowledge for the Hawkesbury-Nepean
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River Sydney ’, is run by Western Sydney University , comprising of The Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development – Greater Western Sydney .
The grant will fund a series of community days , activities and tools to engage and empower a variety of river users , Landcare groups and volunteer groups .
This includes a citizen science training day , online resources , a cultural walk and talk , development of a HNR ‘ Species of the River ’ survey and report card and a regional HNR forum .
It ’ s great to see this funding allocated to such a deserving group . For more information on Sydney Water ’ s Community Grants Program , please visit https :// sydneywater . com . au / communitygrants .
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with Susan Templeman MP
I ’ d like to thank the thousands of Hawkesbury residents who took the chance to ask Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese their pressing questions firsthand during a telephone hook-up with me on 20 September .
Around 4,000 people joined us from across the region for the phone-in event , asking Anthony about everything from flood and bushfire support to mental health and vaccines .
People often complain that they only hear from politicians around election time , but that ’ s just not how I operate .
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Every day I hear from those who are struggling with the impacts of the pandemic – from people who have lost their jobs , small business owners who are suffering , parents who are helping kids do remote education while working from home , and from essential and frontline workers who are working their guts out .
So , I thought it was important they get their voices heard and help decisionmakers at the highest level understand what their issues are .
Questions on the night came from a Year 12 student from Bligh Park , who asked what mental health supports Labor could provide for young people in the
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Hawkesbury area , as well as a grower who lost millions of dollars ’ worth of turf in the March floods , who wanted to know about funding and future works to help ease the effects .
Anthony pointed out the government had set up the Emergency Response Fund to provide $ 200 million a year to communities affected by disasters , but hasn ’ t spent a single cent in areas affected by either flooding or bushfires .
There were concerns raised about the consultation process for the Richmond Bridge project , as well as poor NBN in areas like Bowen Mountain – something Albo said was the result of the scrapping
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of Labor ’ s original plan for fibre straight to homes and businesses . He said fixing the problem would be “ expensive but necessary ”.
With our community in lockdown , like so many around the country , I can ’ t engage with people in the typical ways – like meeting people at the local train stations and shopping centres or at community functions . Despite these challenges , people ’ s voices still need to be heard and I wanted locals to be able to go straight to the top . I ’ ll be continuing to fight for the issues of the Hawkesbury to be heard loud and clear by the decision-makers of this country , so watch this space !
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